OEM Market ShareFor the three-month average period ending in May, 234 million Americans age 13 and older used mobile devices. Device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 25.7 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers (up 0.1 percentage points), followed by LG with 19.1 percent share. Apple continued to grow its share in the OEM market, ranking third with 15.0 percent (up 1.5 percentage points), followed by Motorola with 12.0 percent and HTC with 6.1 percent.

Smartphone Platform Market ShareNearly 110 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in May, up 5 percent versus February. Google Android ranked as the top smartphone platform with 50.9 percent market share (up 0.8 percentage points). Five years after the release of the first iPhone, Apple’s share of the smartphone market reached 31.9 percent in May (up 1.7 percentage points). RIM ranked third with 11.4 percent share, followed by Microsoft (4.0 percent) and Symbian (1.1 percent).

Mobile Content UsageIn May, 74.8 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device. Downloaded applications were used by 51.1 percent of subscribers (up 1.6 percentage points), while browsers were used by 49.8 percent (up 0.6 percentage points). Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased 0.6 percentage points to 36.7 percent of mobile subscribers. Game-playing was done by 33.5 percent of the mobile audience (up 1.3 percentage points), while 27.0 percent listened to music on their phones (up 2.2 percentage points).

The mobile workforce needs connectivity capability. Options include (but are not limited to) mobile broadband, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. Here's a look at each option.

Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access through a portable modem, mobile phone or other mobile device. Mobile broadband is an embedded 3G or 4G broadband technology that works in conjunction with a wireless service provider that supplies nationwide coverage. By using the latest wireless technology, mobile workers experience connection speeds comparable to DSL (digital subscriber line) that are standard in most workplaces.

4G is the 4th Generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunications that adheres to the IMT Advanced specifications by the International Telecommunication Union. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. Mobile telecommunications that use 4G are expected to provide a comprehensive and secure IP based mobile broadband solution to laptop computer wireless modems, smartphones, and other mobile devices.

Data traffic can be secured between the notebook and cellular tower with 128-bit encryption—the same level used in e-commerce transactions. Because the connection technology is incorporated into the device, no additional equipment is necessary. Upgrades are easy for most products and generally cost less to maintain than other wireless technologies.

Various network standards may be used, such as GPRS, 3G, WiMAX, LTE, Flash-OFDM, IPW, iBurst UMTS/HSPA, EV-DO and some portable satellite-based systems. However mostly the term refers to EVDO (sister system to CDMA-1), EDGE on GSM and HSPDA/HSUPA/HSPA on UMTS/3G/Foma. Such systems piggyback on the mobile phone infrastructure (EDGE, HSPA etc. actually share spectrum with voice calls, which have priority). The actual "non-Mobile Phone" Mobile networks are very small subscriber base (Mobile WiMax, iBurst, Flash-OFDMA, IPW and portable Satellite terminals) compared to fixed wireless broadband.

Types of devices used:

PDA

smartphone, Mobile phone

USB flash drive, (dongle)

Compact Flash

PC Card, ExpressCard

SDIO

MiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that relies on wireless "hotspots" for connections. As a result, mobile users must be in a specific location that offers wireless Internet access to use the device. Wireless hotspots are often provided by hotels, restaurants and airports free of charge in support of customer demand for this service. Wi-Fi connections are prone to security breaches, however, because most Wi-Fi hotspots use unsecured networks.

Bluetooth is a wireless networking protocol that enables devices in a PAN (personal area network) to communicate with one another.

VPNs are a secure, cost-effective method for connecting remote employees directly to private company networks via the Internet, or through the use of software. A VPN differs from traditional WAN (wide area network) connections because it doesn't transmit data over phone or other physical lines. As a result, VPNs are generally less expensive and easier to maintain than a WAN setup. There are multiple types of VPNs that can be established and a variety of methods are deployed to ensure VPNs are secure, such as firewalls and encryption.